Goodbye
by KattyBorz
Summary: Tezuka is leaving for Germany. He spends his last few days with his team and Keiko.


I sighed as my twin bolted it to the tennis courts again. Shuichiro wanted to go and tell everyone something. I respected my five minute older brother, but I wanted to get home. I tapped my foot, checking my watch every so often, what was taking him so long? It's been almost a half hour! Was he giving everyone a long detailed speech about his dedication to go to the Nationals? I sighed aggravated. Why does he like pushing my buttons so much?

"Yo!" The deep voice pulled my away from my irritation for my brother. I turned and saw a bespectacled boy. He was only an inch and a half taller than me; actually all the boys were taller than me. His golden brown hair moved with the wind. "Why are you still here?"

"Oh, Shuichiro wanted to tell everyone something and he never returned." I growled; my irritation returning. "I'm about to just ditch him."

A glint of amusement passed through his brown eyes. "How was your day?"

I looked at him suspiciously. _Since when does Kunimitsu Tezuka try to make conversation?_ "It was okay… why?"

He merely shrugged. "Just wondering, I have to go. Plus, here comes your brother. I'll call you tonight."

I nodded eyeing him warily. He never did this kind of thing. We kept our relationship on the down low, at his request. He never calls me, he never tried to make conversation, and he was never like this. So… why the sudden change? I shrugged it off; at least it was a nice change.

"Yo! Keiko, sorry I kept you waiting!" shouted Shuichiro running toward where I was. "I needed to tell everyone something."

"What was it that you needed to tell them that took over a half hour?" I nearly shrieked the words. Now I lost nearly an hour of studying time because of him. "Hmm?"

"I-I just told everyone to meet by the fountain." stammered Shuichiro.

"I'm going." I stated plainly. If he told Tezuka to be there, I'll definitely be going. Also, I always liked being there for the team.

Shuichiro seemed taken aback. "I-I wouldn't have it any other way!" He was happy so I was happy, somewhat. I still have an hour to make up of studying time.

I was in the middle of studying when my phone went off. It wasn't late but it wasn't the middle of the afternoon either. So I was surprised some one would be calling me at this hour. Normally, people left me alone knowing full well that I don't like being disturbed while studying. I wondered briefly why I didn't turn my phone off, but that thought was erased when I read the number.

_Kuni-kun…_

"Hello?" I answered in a subtle yet cheerful voice.

"Hey, it's me." His deep voice sounded even deeper on the phone. "I'm heading over to Kawamura's sushi shop. Do you want to meet me there?"

I was stunned into silence. Wow, whatever sickness he has, I hope he never gets better! "S-Sure!" I stammered. "Are you heading there now?"

"Yeah."

"Okay!"

The phone line went dead. I really need to teach him how to hang up properly. People normally like to say 'good-bye' before hitting the 'end' button. Oh well, that's what makes Tezuka Tezuka I guess. I raced toward the shop and arrived just as Tezuka, Eiji, Momo, and Inui turned the corner. I had impeccable timing…if only I could put that timing into something useful!

"Hey!" I shouted waving at them.

"Hey!" cheered Eiji racing toward me. He pulled me into a bone crushing huge.

"Eiji! Squeezing! Not breathing!" I gasped. He let me go and smiled. What a strange character he was. But, he's a good friend.

"Oi Keiko!" yelled Momo popping up on my right. "Long time no see!"

I sighed. "Momo, we had a long conversation not two hours ago."

"So?" countered Momo, he was next in line for the weirdest regular. "It's a long time to me."

He pouted.

Inui raised a hand in welcome and I could tell from his stalker smile, he was pleased that I joined them. I shuddered in response…he scares the living hell out of me. I ignored the creeper and walked straight toward Tezuka, stopping a few feet short.

"Hey," I smiled at my small greeting.

"Hey."

I moved to his side and took his right hand; I had been there during the Hyotei match. I didn't want to make things worse. He laced his fingers with mine and we followed the other three into the sushi shop. Takashi was training to be a sushi-chef, following the dream that his father had. I admired that about him, he always went with the flow, never giving a care in the world unless it affected a fellow teammate or friend. We sat down at the bar and watched him make sushi. Momo and Eiji were as excited as hell and couldn't control themselves. After a moment, Takashi handed them the sushi he had prepared and Momo took the first bit.

"That's delicious!" He cried. Although after a few seconds, his eyes started to water, he clutched his throat as if he was trying to strangle himself.

"MOMO!" shouted Eiji. "Snap out of it! What's wrong?"

"Taka-sempai!" gasped Momo. "Too much wasabi!"

"Wasabi?" repeated Takashi. He ate the remaining sushi and then he too went into a tizzy. I laughed at the two.

Later on, we all went our separate ways to prepare for what Shuichiro had planned. I was yet again surprised at Tezuka's actions. When I was about to depart for the front door, he caught my hand and pulled me back to face him. He then leaned down and kissed me. It wasn't a peck like I was used to. No, it was a passionate kiss. He stood up straight and left. But not before whispering, "I love you," in my ear. I stood rooted to the spot. What had gotten into him?

I tried to get what we were doing tonight out of Shuichiro, so I could dress accordingly, but he didn't tell me anything. So I just put on dark jeans and a nice white shirt. Classy yet casual, as was my goal. When Shuichiro finally finished getting ready we headed toward the meeting place. Everyone was there and anxious about the surprise. As was I for that matter; I turned to look at him expecting an explanation.

"We're going to hike up a mountain and watch the sunset!" said a very excited Shuichiro. "All of us!"

He may be excited, but no one else seemed to be. They looked at each other, nervous. When Shuichiro noticed this, his face fell and it broke my heart to see him upset. Everyone looked at each other, wondering what the others would do. Finally, Fuji spoke.

"I'll go."

I smiled. "As will I." I put a reassuring hand on my brother's shoulder. Soon enough, everyone started to join us. I looked at Tezuka encouragingly. We then headed toward the train station, everyone seemed excited. I sat next to Tezuka and he grabbed my hand. He must be in a loving mood today. I was trying to figure out why he was so into intimacy when he said my name, pulling me out of my train of thought (no pun intended).

"Keiko, I have to tell you something." He was quiet and serious. I gasped and he looked up at me. "I'm going to go to Germany. I can get my shoulder healed there." I was genuinely speechless. That must be the reason for his sudden intimacy, he was leaving.

"When?"

"A few days." Whispered Tezuka seriously, obviously this was no joking matter.

"Do the others know yet?" I asked.

He shook his head. Whatever he was about to say next was interrupted by Takashi.

"Hey, Tezuka! Want to play?"

They had started a poker game without me knowing, and I laughed quietly. Tezuka agreed and I couldn't help but look over everyone's shoulder to see who had the best hand, it was close, very close, then Tezuka trumped them all with a Royal Flush. I laughed. I guess when you're good at everything, there's no limit for you. Of course, I should already know this. Tezuka is a national ranked tennis player, he had been offered to study abroad and he was surrounded by friends who care about him. I knew that this wouldn't last for long, through high school maybe. But later in life, it would all disappear like waking up from a good dream.

We all ran off the train as soon as it stopped and headed directly for the trail. I walked next to Shuichiro, in the lead, ahead of everyone else. It took all night but we eventually made it. There was so much cloud cover; we may not be able to see the sunrise. This was a major let down; it was almost everyone's first time watching the sunrise.

"Don't worry!" reassured Shuichiro looking at his watch. "In about five minutes it'll be dawn."

We all waited, and slowly Shuichiro's excitement started to drain away. He looked so upset.

"Just give it a minute." I whispered to him. "It'll come, trust me."

Just as I predicted, the clouds moved and there was a beautiful sunset. Everyone cheered. I turned around and looked for Tezuka. He was watching me, his expression forever stoic. I walked back a few steps and held out my left hand. Tezuka walked forward and took my hand. I leaned against him, watching as the sun rose in the sky. Fuji had started taking pictures and I skillfully dodged every single one of them. Then he persisted that one be taken of Tezuka and I and I had no choice but to obey since everyone was in agreement. Just because I could, I stuck my tongue out at the mad genius. We took one last picture of everyone before we headed back. It was a long day and I was as tired as hell. I could only imagine what the boys must feel; they were the ones who work hard. But as I looked around me, everyone seemed to be happy.

It was finally the day I feared, Tezuka leaving for Germany. Shuichiro was fretting for days on end about it. He was so worried. But what he showed on the outside was small compared to what I felt on the inside. I didn't know when I'll see Tezuka again, or if I'll see him. So when Shuichiro, Ryuzaki-sensei and I met Tezuka at the airport, I let a few tears fall. This would be the last time I saw him for a long time. Tezuka noticed my tears and pulled me aside. He started digging in his bag and produced a jacket. I gasped.

"Here," he said handing me the jacket.

"K-Kuni…no that's yours." I protested. "You'll need it."

He shook his head. "No, keep it until I get back. I trust you with this; wear it at the Kanto tournament." He let a small smile seep to the surface. He lifted a hand and wiped my tears away. "Don't worry, I'll be back. I'll call every day, I promise."

His words sent knives through my heart. I didn't know why I was acting this way. Didn't I understand that this was in his best interest? But that didn't stop me from sobbing and throwing myself at him. His arms wrapped around me in comfort. Tezuka stood there, consoling me, saying comforting words, trying to get me to calm down. This was stupid, I reasoned. This was the last time I'd see him for months and I was ruining it by crying. I stopped the sobs but there was no stopping the tears. I stepped away from him, gripping the Seigaku team jacket tightly. Tezuka kissed my forehead and we joined the other two.

He then left, with a solid promise to both me and Shuichiro to come back. I stayed there until his plane was out of sight, then more tears came. He'd better come back to me.


End file.
